Maurice Sendak Biography

Fast Facts

• Won the Caldecott Medal from the American Library Association for "Where the Wild Things Are" in 1964 and the National Medal of the Arts, presented by President Bill Clinton, in 1996
• Started out as a background illustrator for All-American Comics and was first published in a physics textbook called "Atomics for the Millions" in 1947
• Met Harper & Row children's book editor Ursula Nordstrom while working as a window display builder at F․A․O․ Schwarz, which led him to illustrate his first children's book, "The Wonderful Farm" by Marcel Aymé, in 1951
• The melancholy air of his works can be attributed to his experiences as a lower class, Jewish gay man who lived through the Depression, World War II, and the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby, which heavily influenced "Outside Over There․"
• Quote: "(On the themes of childhood neglect and abandonment in his books): "That's all I've ever written about․ As a kid, all I thought about was death․ But you can't tell your parents that․""
• Best known as the writer and illustrator of numerous children's books, most notably "Where the Wild Things Are․"
• His stories frequently upset the status quo of American children's literature, with a focus on realism and the darker sides of humanity rather than simple moralistic tales
• In addition to "Where the Wild Things Are," he also wrote and illustrated "In the Night Kitchen" and "Outside Over There," the two of which complete the trilogy he began in 1963
• Some of his other children's books include "The Sign on Rosie's Door," "Higglety Pigglety Pop!," and "Bumble-Ardy․"
• Also did illustrations for works by Hans Christian Anderson, William Blake, and Leo Tolstoy, and became well-known for designing theatrical sets in the latter part his career
• His book "My Brother's Book," written and illustrated in honor of his brother, Jack, was published posthumously in 2013